The Global Political Economy of REDD+ Engaging Social Dimensions in the Emerging Green Economy

The emergence of REDD+ has brought new actors to the green economy negotiating arena whose interests are not only linked to the economy and the environment, but also to human rights and social participation issues.

The paper argues that in developing the global REDD+ architecture, actors' competition around co-benefits, markets and rights is being determined by a wide range of environmental worldviews. Enhancing the participation of less powerful forest voices will be crucial if equity, rights and social justice are to be considered key aspects of future REDD+ implementation.

Political economy analysis can play a vital role in helping policy makers create more equitable REDD+ agreements that deliver benefits across the broad range of stakeholders involved, and in identifying and overcoming future challenges for REDD+ policy making and implementation.